Recruiting Begins for the 2016 GMMT Team

Hello!


We are kicking off team member recruiting for the 2016 mission trip to Guatemala.  This is open to all past members and their friends, family members, church family, and co-workers.  If they are interested, invite and bring them to one of the information sessions.

Please sign-up here if you are interested in hearing more about the trip or going on the trip.  This will help ensure you get added to the communications list for the information meetings and an invitation.  The high level trip details are below.

• Information Meetings: Sundays - 2:30 - 5 pm, February 21, 2016 & March 6, 2016
• Trip Dates: Saturday July 2, 2016 to Saturday July 9, 2016
• Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala & rural locations TBD
• Cost: ~$2,000 per person
• Team Size: 15-24 team members
• Organizations Involved:  
• Seek & Serve, Inc.
• Guatemala Medical Missions Ministries - www.mmm-guatemala.com

Thanks and I hope to see you and yours at one of the meetings!

Patrick

We're on our way home!

What an awesome trip we've had! Special thanks to all of our supporters, everyone who is a part of the local MMM team in Guatemala, and all the local congregations we have served with over the last week. We give God all the glory. 

We have heard from God through His word and the Holy Spirit. Praise our God for He is good. His love endures forever.

Psalm 118

La Aurora Aeropuerto

Rolling down the runway

Guatemala from 20,000'

Sleepy time for all

Back in Atlanta with the friends and family we've missed so much!

Last Clinic

The traffic getting through Guatemala City can rival Atlanta rush hour traffic any day.   Today was our last clinic day.  We saw close to 100 people who were very grateful to have us visit their neighborhood.  The church served us a delicious meal - chicken and rice soup with tamales, a spicy green chile sauce and we sat at the table all together for a short break before the second half of the day.  Lots of bibles, vitamins/medicine, prayers of health & deeper faith were requested and distributed amongst the attendees.  Such immense gratitude and smiles walked out from the church today.

Tomorrow we are visiting the school with tons of supplies and lots of energy to meet the students.  Plus we'll have a fun visit to the market.

Days 3 - 5: Clinics

Just got back to the mission house after 3 days in the mountain regions of Guatemala for the clinics - not sure how to describe it except to say Wow, just wow!  How amazing, overwhelming, touching, educational and more.

We all took shifts during the clinics in different roles - pharmacy, counseling, children's ministry, prayer walker. We saw close to 300 people.  They received free doctor visit, medications, and gave us the opportunity to meet with them and discuss spirituality. Lots of medicine, vitamins, toothbrushes, bibles and lollipops were distributed.

There are TONS of great pictures to post to help paint the picture of this time.  A mere few are below.  Our group is so blessed to have met these beautiful people in Guatemala, work with the medical mission group, and be inspired by the words of Herman.  Another clinic tomorrow!

Stephanie y Juanito (Day 2 Clinic)

Counseling Station (Day 1)

Pharmacy (Day 1)

Stacy with Melanie, Stephanie y Francisco (Day 2)

Flip flops are a huge hit! (Day 3)

Some of the boys from the children's ministry on Day 3 of clinics

Days 3 - 5

Hey! 

Just wanted to post a quick note.

We have been out in the mountains of Guatemala for the last 3 days.  Awesome time at the 3 clinics!  We are back at the mission house unloading and cleaning up before dinner.  Pictures and details to come.

En route to clinic #2

We are on our way to clinic #2 in Zacualpa, El Quiche, which is about a 2 hour, 4-wheel drive (meaning super bumpy!) from where we stayed last night. 

This clinic location is a church plant from the church in San Martin Jilotepeque where we will have our clinic tomorrow. 

The road we are traveling and a few locals

A little road maintenance after last night's rain showers....

And a little bit more!

Dia 2: Antigua (Church, Brunch, Orphanage)

After waking up bright and early in our bunk beds at the mission house, we loaded up in the van to head to church in Antigua.  A similar style service to North Point - we were able to follow the sermon on money and its affects in our lives through translation radios.  Next we headed to a delicious brunch in a beautiful parque for brunch: cafe con leche, omelettes, plantains, hash browns and more - but more importantly - it was fuel for a full day at our next stop - the orphanage Casa Aleluya.  At first a few kids were standing around playing frisbees and a few curious eyes turned our way, but as our tour began, the kids starting coming out of the homes and were thrilled to have our attention.  They loved the gifts we brought - hair bows, play-dough, chalk, bubbles, cards - were very popular with the kids. But picking them up, drawing with them, talking with them, being silly with them seemed to bring the genuine giggles and smiles out.  The situations that brought many of the children to Casa Aleluya seem unrealistic and it's interesting to see how situated and comfortable the kids seem in this new environment.  Who knows what's really going on in each of their hearts but walking inside the walls covered in Bible verses and surrounded with flags from past and current volunteers from around the world - you at least can be filled with hope that those innocent kids are in a place with a chance for a new beginning or a glimmer of a different life.

Tomorrow we begin the medical clinics.  We are packing our bags for two nights in the fields and were graced with an inspirational message of encouragement, strengthening, and comforting from Herman tonight.  More pics of the orphanage and group to come...